Marvel Cinematic Universe One-Shots
by Shian1998
Summary: My collection of one-shots set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Possible spoilers if you haven't seen certain parts of the franchise.
1. In Memory of Stan Lee

**1\. In Memory of Stan Lee:**

 **Hi everyone. This is where I'll be uploading all my one-shots set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I will be writing one-shots connected to the film series and most if not all of the shows connected to them. Please take the time to read and tell me what you think. If you have any feedback I could use, I would definitely appreciate that. Though no rude comments please. :)**

 **Also, if you are not caught up with certain parts of the franchise, some of these could potentially have spoilers, so be aware of that.**

 **If this is read by anyone who's waiting for the next chapter of my first story 'In Memory of Carl Grimes', I'm so sorry for how long I've been taking. I had meant to get it done a lot sooner. I'm trying to get a few one-shots done for Christmas (for this and my other one-shot collections), but after that I promise I will focus on getting the rest of 'In Memory of Carl Grimes' done.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.**

—

The elderly man stood at the side of the street, observing as people attempted to clear the rubble from the fight that occurred hours earlier. He was glad none of the students he'd been driving at the time had been harmed by the arrival of the alien ship, and that he'd gotten almost all of them to their destination. He wasn't worried about the one student that vanished from his bus, as he knew the young webslinger was in safe hands.

As he continued down the street, he looked inside a diner and noticed that all the patrons were watching the TV attentively. He walked in to see what was happening, and heard the news correspondent reporting that satellites had discovered more alien ships hovering in the atmosphere above the hidden country of Wakanda. As they watched this, he could hear some patrons discussing what could be happening there, and wondering if the missing Tony Stark was on one of those ships.

The old man quietly wished good luck to the heroes he knew were gathered there, as well as all the other heroes scattered across the world and the galaxy, hoping they'd all make it through this next fight. He'd become quite fond of each of them, during his travels throughout the cosmos to observe them and report back to the ancient Watchers.

He'd taken on a wide range of disguises during these travels, in order to watch without being too heavily noticed by the people around him. From a World War II general to a FedEx postman. From a bartender to a museum security guard. From a mental ward patient to a beauty pageant judge. From a partying World War II veteran to NYPD Captain Irving Forbush. From a Sakaaran servant to a Xandarian civilian. From a casino gambler to a school bus driver to a limo driver. And so many more.

As he walked back out of the diner and down the street, he thought about the many, many people he had watched growing into amazing heroes over the years. The rich SI CEO who had built himself into the Earth's best defender. The enhanced Captain, thrown out of his time and forced to adjust to a new age with new dangers. The scientist, forced to learn to share his body with an enraged beast. The arrogant Prince of Asgard, now a great and wise leader. The forgotten prince, who had stepped out of the shadows and back to the side of light by his brother's side. The selfish doctor turned self-sacrificing Master of the Mystic Arts. The young orphaned boy, who had eagerly accepted the responsibility of being a friendly neighbourhood superhero. The blind vigilante who fought for justice in the courtroom and on the streets. The group of teens that found the courage to stand against their corrupted parents. The Devine Pairing, two troubled teens gifted with the power to protect New Orleans. The band of misfits and criminals that now protected the galaxy from monstrous threats. The broken and lonely soldier, dedicating himself to punish criminals. The immortal Iron Fist, sworn to protect New York City. The thief that had become the smallest hero. The traumatised private investigator turned reluctant hero. Phil Coulson and his band of S.H.I.E.L.D agents, working to protect the Earth from the threats that got past the Avengers. The bulletproof man, who had taken the responsibility of protecting Harlem. The airforce pilot who obtained powers on a cosmic scale. The good man and king who ended Wakanda's isolationism and allowed it to join the rest of the world. Many of the Inhumans who had chosen to use their powers to protect Humans and Inhumans alike. And countless others, all doing their part to protect others.

Not to mention the many heroes from other Earths he had been sent to observe. Including but not limited to the Fantastic Four, the many different X-Men and their allies, and the many different Spider-people. All trying to protect their own worlds.

'So many great men and women, from a wide range of backgrounds, all stepping up to do their part. Proof that anyone can be a hero,' the old man thought proudly.

A scream ripped through the air, followed by more seconds later.

The man stopped abruptly, looking around to see what had happened. Before he could find the source of the screaming, he heard a horrified gasp from behind him. Turning, he saw several pedestrians standing by the side of the street, four of whom appeared to be … turning into dust?

Before he could process what was happening, crashing sounds came from all around him, and he turned to see that numerous cars had started smashing into one another, many of which seemed to be devoid of drivers. Another sound drew his attention upwards, where he saw that a helicopter had just crashed into the side of a nearby building.

Suddenly it clicked.

Thanos.

The infamous Mad Titan, feared throughout the galaxy, who had conquered many planets in an attempt to reduce their populations. Who desired the Infinity Stones. Whose children he now realised were the ones to duel Iron Man, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange and Wong, and who later led the attack on Wakanda.

The traveller realised to his horror that Thanos had clearly achieved his goal. That the heroes had failed to keep the Stones from him. That half of all life throughout this universe was currently disintegrating.

Including himself, he realised, feeling the tips of his fingers starting to flake away.

Throughout his last few seconds, he felt a great deal of sorrow for the heroes that had fallen during this fight, and for the trillions of lives that were ruthlessly destroyed by the Titan's campaign and resulting decimation. He also felt sympathy for all those who would now have to mourn far too many losses. But he did not despair. He did not lose hope. For he knew each of these people. He had been observing them all for so long. And he knew that while they may have fallen for now, this wasn't the end. The survivors would regroup, and they would bounce back from this. They would rise again. It was their nature. They would not give up. And one way or another, they would win. They would defeat the Titan, and they would reverse this massacre. They may not be able to save everyone, but they would save everyone that they possibly could.

The heroes would save their world again. The storyteller had complete faith in them.

'They'd be okay,' he thought proudly.

With that thought, and one last smile, the Watchers' Informant faded away.

—

 **This is my tribute to the late comic book legend and superhero Stan Lee, who sadly passed away last month, as most of you would know by now.**

 **Also, I am aware that he only appears as the Watcher Informant in the MCU films, and that his TV show roles were seperate characters, and the other Marvel franchises are not connected, but for this one-shot I'm imagining that all his appearances are as the Watcher Informant, who's also been sent by the Watchers to observe parallel dimensions as well.**

 **Stan Lee, thank you so much for everything you've done over the decades. You have contributed a massive amount to the Marvel Comics franchise, as well as the many films, shows and games inspired by the comics. You have touched the hearts of millions, possibly billions of people around the world, and you've brought to them joy, entertainment, hope, inspiration, escape, confidence, comfort, adventure, strength, and friendship. Your kindness, wit, humility, love, and grace has resulted in you leaving even more of an indelible mark on the lives of so many people. You proved that one person can make a difference. I may not have read much of the comics, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the X-Men film series are among my favourite franchises, so thank you for making them possible. I also enjoyed your many cameos in the Marvel films. You may no longer be physically with us, but your legacy will live on in your many creations, and the countless people whom you have inspired and will continue to inspire in generations to come.**

 **RIP** **Stanley Martin Lieber** **(December 28, 1922 - November 12, 2018). You will never be forgotten.**

 **Excelsior!**


	2. Drifting Off

**2\. Drifting Off:**

 **Here's my next Avengers one-shot. This one was inspired by the opening scene of the Avengers: Endgame trailer, with Tony recording his goodbye message for Pepper.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers, Tony, Pepper or Nebula.**

—

Tony wearily lowered himself to the floor of the cockpit and leaned back against the chair behind him, groaning as the movement aggravated his injuries. He looked at the scratched helmet in front of him and sighed, wondering how everything could have gone so wrong.

It had only been a couple of weeks since he was excitedly preparing for his wedding with Pepper, yet after everything that had happened since, it felt like a lifetime ago. He had dreamed of marrying the woman he loved for so long, yet with all his flaws, he didn't think it would actually happen. He had been so sure he would have screwed it all up beyond repair by now. Yet despite everything, she had stuck with him, and had actually accepted his proposal. And when he brought up having a child, despite not yet agreeing to the idea she hadn't seemed entirely against it either.

Things with Peter had also been going great, especially now that his aunt knew what he was doing and had come to support it. As well as properly mentoring him in his vigilante activities, Tony had also grown closer to the boy as a person, often helping him with homework, letting him stay over, giving him advice. Happy even joked, when not stressed out about keeping the wedding plans from the media, that Tony had started acting like a father. Tony scoffed at this, but secretly wondered if he had been, and if Peter had seen him that way. He hoped he had.

Despite the rift separating the Avengers and his fears for the future, everything had been going great just a short time ago. Now, he was sitting in an alien ship, alone aside from the grumpy blue cyborg lady who had survived Titan with him. He had fought against a monster far more dangerous than he had ever previously encountered, and had lost the fight. He had a stab wound through his abdomen, held together only by the last of his remaining nanites. He had seen several of his allies disintegrate into dust, including all the Guardians, Strange and-

Peter, he forced himself to think, looking down at his hands, where he could still see the stains left by the dust from the boy.

He had no idea how many of his friends back on Earth had died, though to his despair he knew that at least half of them had. He desperately hoped that at least Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy had all survived. And to top it all off, the ship he and Nebula were attempting to use to get home had broken down and was drifting aimlessly through space. They had depleted the last of their supply of food and water days ago, and now they only had a few hours of oxygen left. And they had no way of signalling anyone for help.

In short, their entire situation sucked, and there was no chance of things working out for them.

Tony returned his attention to his helmet. Most of his suit's systems had been damaged during his time away from Earth, but his helmet could still record messages. He sighed sadly. He knew he would never see Earth again, and he didn't know if Pepper was even still alive. But if she was, he needed to send a final message to her. To ensure she wouldn't spend too long waiting and not knowing where he was. To explain why he wasn't coming home.

To say goodbye.

Tony reached a hand to the helmet and pressed the record button, hearing a click. He sighed, then tapped the helmet when he didn't see the eye pieces light up. "This thing on?" he asked himself. As the light came on and started recording him, he began his final message to Pepper.

"Hey, Miss Potts," he started. "If you find this recording," he paused to breathe heavily, "don't feel bad about this. Part of the journey is the end. Just for the record, being adrift in space with zero promise of rescue is more fun than it sounds.

"Food and water ran out, four days ago. Oxygen will run out tomorrow morning. That'll be it." Tapping the nose of the helmet, he said, "When I drift off, I will dream about you." Growing quieter, he finished with "It's always you." After pausing for a moment, he moved to end the recording, hearing the helmet power down, then leaned back, feeling numb and empty.

As he sat there stewing, he heard light footsteps approach from behind, before a metal hand touched him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry," Nebula muttered to him, a hint of compassion in her usually cold voice. After a moment, her hand slowly fell away from him and Tony heard her take a few steps away before sitting across the room from him.

As time passed, Tony reflected on everything that had happened. Everything that had been lost. Everything he possibly could have done differently to better their odds.

He had known something was coming. Ever since the Battle of New York, ever since the day he looked through the portal and saw what lay beyond, he had always known it wasn't over. That the day would come when the true mastermind behind Loki's attack would strike again. He had tried to prepare for that day, he had really tried. Even more so after Maximoff had shown him that nightmarish vision of the Chitauri conquering Earth and slaughtering his friends. He had drastically increased the amount of suits he constructed. He had attempted to create another A.I designed to protect the planet. But it had all backfired. Ultron went rouge and tried to wipe out all of humanity, damaging the trust people had for the Avengers and setting events in motion that would lead to the team tearing themselves apart. Rendering their planet vulnerable.

Tony wondered if they could have won had that never happened. Tony and his allies on Titan had come close to defeating Thanos on their own. If everyone had presented a united front, could they have succeeded? Could they have won?

It didn't matter, Tony thought to himself. The fact was they hadn't. And now half of all life in the universe had been extinguished. Including Peter, Strange, Quill and those two other aliens.

And in a matter of hours, Tony and Nebula's names would be added to the casualty list.

" _Don't waste it,"_ he remembered Yinsen's dying words. _"Don't waste your life."_

'Sorry Yinsen,' Tony thought, 'but everything I've done has been in vain, so I'm pretty sure I wasted it.'

Tony glanced over at Nebula. The only other survivor from the battle on Titan. The woman who had pushed him into leaving the site of Peter's death. Who helped him fix up the Guardians' ship and tried to help him return home. Who had, in her own distant and standoffish way, sympathised with his loss despite suffering a massive loss of her own.

Not wanting to wallow in his misery any longer, Tony turned to Nebula and told her, "I'm going to try to sleep for the last few hours. Don't wake me up, even when I start suffocating." He knew Nebula would last a little longer than he would, due to her cybernetic enhancements. "I don't want to feel my death."

Nebula looked at him for a moment, then nodded, her expression showing her understanding. "See you on the other side, Stark."

Tony nodded to her, then leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to will himself to fall asleep. As the minutes passed, he attempted to push all thoughts of Thanos and the recent genocide out of his head, and focused on his happier memories. He thought about helping Peter with his homework, and training and giving advice to the eager young hero. He thought about Rhodey, his oldest friend, sitting with him during his low moments and supporting him. He thought about Happy, his loyal security guard forever trying to protect him despite the stressful nature of his job. And as Tony started to nod off, he thought of Pepper, the love of his life, the woman who had inspired him to become a better person. Who had held him after his nightmares. Who had stuck with him despite everything. Who he had hoped to have a future with…

—

 _Tony found himself in his lab, working on his latest project. He looked and saw that he was building a new update for his suit._

" _Mr Stark, Mr Stark," he heard an eager young voice from his side. Looking over, he saw Peter standing there, wide smile on his face, presenting his own work._

" _Looking good there, kid," Tony said, then helped the young man add his piece to the suit. In his excitement, Peter accidentally destabilised one of the systems within the suit, sending sparks flying everywhere._

" _Oops," Peter said, looking worried. Tony was about to reassure him that it was okay, when he heard a familiar ominous whirring sound._

" _No, Dum-E!" Tony yelled at the robot. "There's no fire, don't spray us!" But it was too late._

…

 _Tony flew between the hills, searching for his adversaries. He'd heard that a Ten Rings cell was acting up in the area, and he'd come to try to eliminate them._

 _Hearing gunshots directed towards him, Tony immediately changed directions, dodging the bullets in the process, and fired his blasters at the terrorists. Hearing an explosion behind him, he turned and saw the remains of a destroyed tank, which seemed to have been aiming at him. Over the tank hovered another man in a metal suit._

 _Switching on his comm link, Tony called out "What took you so long, Platypus?"_

" _That anyway to thank someone for saving your life, Tones?" Rhodey responded, before flying past him. Tony chuckled to himself before following him, grateful as always that his old friend had his back._

…

" _You know, Tony," the constantly stressed out Happy complained to Tony. "I already have a hard enough time trying to keep the media circus off your's and Pepper's wedding. I don't need you pulling off more ridiculous public stunts that draw even more attention!"_

" _You're right, Happy. I'm sorry," Tony patiently said, looking around the park and trying to think of a way to get his friend to relax._

" _I'm already on edge-" Happy continued, irritated._

" _You're always on edge," Tony interrupted._

" _And whose fault is that?" Happy snapped. "Between your wedding, that case against me from that kid, my regular job, I've got a lot on my plate and I don't need your antics causing more trouble for me."_

" _No one is working harder than you, I know. Which is why I want you to de-stress. Just come with me and Pepper on our walks, take the day off, you'll feel a whole lot better-"_

" _No, I've got way too much I need to do and I - Bert!" Happy interrupted himself. "I see you. Get back here. You're not getting away this time. Bert!" Happy ran off after the fleeing man._

" _I really gotta get him a girlfriend," Tony muttered to himself. "Maybe Peter's hot aunt?"_

…

 _Tony lay in his bed, gazing at his sleeping wife. He never felt more relaxed than when laying here in the morning with Pepper, and despite normally wanting to be up and about at all hours, he was content to let the both of them sleep in longer._

" _Mommy, Daddy!" a young voice squealed immediately after the door banged open._

' _Or not,' Tony retracted his earlier thought before groaning as the tiny child jumped onto him. "Morning, Morgan," he said to his young daughter, smiling tiredly at her._

" _Good morning, Daddy," Morgan exclaimed, giggling._

" _Hey, what about me?" Pepper asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Morgan giggled and moved to hug her._

 _Tony smiled as he observed his wife and daughter, feeling happier than he ever had before. He felt like the luckiest man alive, having these two amazing people as his family._

" _Hey, guys," Tony began, "I was thinking today we -" His voice suddenly cut out, and he felt like he was short of air._

" _You okay, Tony?" Pepper asked, concerned, but before Tony could reply he was convulsing, struggling to suck down air that was no longer there. He looked towards Pepper - was that Pepper? For a second she looked like she'd turned blue, and sitting in a metal room instead of their bed. Suddenly she was Pepper again._

 _He didn't know what was happening. He tried to look for Pepper and Morgan, though his vision was started to blacken, and other images, such as the blue woman, a broken ship, and clouds of dust, were appearing in his mind._

 _Soon the images slowed down. His anxieties started to calm. And his vision blackened further. As he succumbed to the darkness, he heard one last cry from the woman he loved._

" _TONYYYYYYY!"_

—

 **I really hope that Tony doesn't die in this movie. And even if he does, I don't believe it'll actually happen this way. Despite that, after watching the trailer I wanted to write this scenario here. Hope you thought it was good.**


End file.
